Is Sports Betting Legal in Illinois

Sports betting: Penn National / bar stool. Sports betting, located in the Inside 99 Hops House restaurant, features sports betting terminals and 14 sports betting kiosks on the casino floor and pavilion. In addition to the bookmaker, the casino offers three restaurants, including a steakhouse, a deli meat, and a buffet. With the passage of House Bill 3136, the need to register in a physical casino will soon be a thing of the past. Starting in March 2022, anyone will be able to sign up for mobile sports betting as long as you`re within the state`s borders. Illinois` sports betting law required internet-only operators to wait at least 18 months before they could launch standalone online sportsbook apps or other platforms. The waiting period (see below for details) began on 11 June 2020 when the CSI issued seven sports betting licences and will end on 5 March 2022. However, DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel (in that order) found ways to enter the market sooner. Instead, a more traditional retail giant, BetMGM, became the first “online-only” licensee to launch in Illinois. Early restrictive laws as well as the coronavirus pandemic created several hurdles to Illinois` potentially thriving online betting market, but there was a temporary respite in June when Gov. J.B.

Pritzker temporarily waived 18-month in-person registration. The Institute of Government & Public Affairs (IGPA) at the University of Illinois has released a report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state of the local economy. Potential sports betting revenues can help revise policies to maximize revenue in the near future and improve the rules of the game for operators and bettors. With respect to betting options, the law defines a “sporting event” as a professional sport or sporting event, a university sport or a sporting event, a motor racing event or any other event or competition with relative capacity approved by the Board of Directors. While this seems to give sports betting a lot of leeway in terms of supply, some events such as eSports or one-time events require special approval from the state gambling board for betting to be legal. However, everything has changed due to COVID-19. Pritzker acknowledged the need for casinos to have a revenue stream when they are closed or operating at less than 100% capacity, and on June 4, 2020, he issued Executive Order 2020-41, which suspended the requirement for personal registration to receive a mobile sports betting app. The decree has been continuously renewed since then, but was finally able to expire on April 2, 2021. Caesars Illinois is the new big player in the online sports betting industry thanks to the acquisition of William Hill in 2021. In the week following the first decree, there was a flood of activity, with the seven casinos that had permits getting sports betting licenses the following week and finally starting the 540-day clock for online-only apps. Both DraftKings and FanDuel had to navigate the online betting deadline.

DraftKings Sportsbook was able to do this relatively quickly when it opened a bookmaker at Queen Casino on August 5. DraftKings Sportsbook at Queen Casino is located on the St. Louis Subway, which at least gives some Missouri residents the opportunity to place sports betting (sports betting isn`t legal in St. Louis yet). The CSI approved the state`s sports betting rules and the first legal bet was placed in March 2020. After two years of in-person registration, Illinois permanently transitioned to online registration on March 5, 2022. But on Aug. 20, Pritzker restored order allowing bettors to reopen accounts amid the COVID-19 pandemic without having to venture into public space. The contract was extended several times, but finally expired in April 2021. After almost a year, the natural personal registration requirement finally expired on its own.

Online registration for Illinois online sports betting became a reality on March 5, 2022. In total, up to 10 casinos, three racetracks and seven professional sports venues could apply for sports betting licenses in Illinois. Professional teams with sports facilities with at least 17,000 seats can pay a $10 million royalty to have sports betting on-site at their Illinois sports facilities. Prairie State`s original plan required face-to-face registrations, making the introduction of sports betting less inclusive. However, having to jump through those tires will soon be a thing of the past. The recent adoption of HB 3136 has put an end to mobile listings on-site, creating more flexibility for those who want to bet on sports in IL. All major sports betting uses geolocation technology, which uses Wi-Fi and GPS to accurately determine the location of each bet. The operators collaborate with GeoComply, which sets up “fences”. This technology ensures that any sports betting attempted from out of state will be denied access.

There was a catch because it was online sports betting in Illinois. As of April 4, 2021, bettors must register online in person at a retail casino. Governor J.B. Pritzker had previously authorized remote check-in by executive order, but these expired in early April. After living nearly a year in the Stone Age of sports betting (April 21 – March 22), Illinois finally entered the modern era *definitively* on March 5, 2022. Mobile online sports betting registration is now back in the land of Lincoln. Below is a complete timeline of IL`s legalization process. BetMGM Sportsbook Illinois is as reliable as it gets.

Blessed with a wealth of gambling experience – courtesy of the Caesars Entertainment brand – BetMGM`s legal online bookmaker has led to top-notch status. It is fitting that Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive, owner of BetRivers, was the first online/mobile bookmaker to offer Illinois sportsbook apps on June 18, 2020. The launch was made possible in part by Governor J.B. Pritzker`s Executive Order 2020-41, which temporarily lifted the personal registration requirement. Online sports betting began in Illinois on June 18, 2020, when Rivers Casino went live via BetRivers. The online sports betting schedule was both accelerated and disrupted when Governor J.B. Pritzker issued Executive Order 2020-41 on June 4, waiving the requirement for a person to physically report to a casino/sports betting to access a mobile sports betting account. As a result, customers were able to sign up for online/mobile accounts from mobile devices or computers, rather than in a casino – until the end of July, when the order expired. Illinois bettors want to know that they are placing safe and legal bets and protecting their personal information.

Your bookmaker must have a reputable and trustworthy history in Illinois (and elsewhere) and operate with a secure, encrypted connection. Online betting customers can currently remotely register for the DraftKings Sportsbook on Queen Sportsbook Casino`s digital platform, where DraftKings Sportsbook offers a variety of unique promotions for new customers, including a deposit game or risk-free bet. This recent change and the reintroduction of online registration before March Madness will certainly bring a huge amount of tax revenue. Another important fact is that operators are forced to buy “official league data,” which could cost sports betting even more than they then have to pass on to consumers. The main licenses for other venues – casinos, racetracks and professional sports venues – are set at $10 million. Here are some sports betting mistakes that Illinoisans (or visitors!) should avoid. Hawthorne Race Course is the only racetrack currently offering retail sports betting in Illinois. Fairmount Park will be next, and Arlington Park has withdrawn its sports betting license application because parent company Churchill Downs Inc. already holds a controlling stake in Rivers Casino Des Plaines, located 12 miles from the track. There are currently six mobile operators in Illinois, with PointsBet launching via Hawthorne in September. 12, and Caesars Sportsbook did the same about the Grand Victoria Casino three days later. Barstool Sportsbook was Illinois` youngest entrant and went live in the state through its partnership with Penn National Casino Company, which owns three properties in Illinois.

Two Illinois racetracks have received sports betting licenses, Hawthorne Race Course and Fairmount Park. The third, Arlington Park, withdrew its application because parent company Churchill Downs Inc. is the majority owner of the nearby Rivers Casino. This was the best as Arlington Park closed in 2021 and is currently awaiting demolition. On this page, you will learn in detail about the status of legal online sports betting in Illinois and what sports bettors can expect in Lincoln Country in the future. Illinois` online sports betting uses geolocation security technology, similar to other states that have legalized online sports betting. The quality of these geolocation services is important because Illinois borders two states, Indiana and Iowa, which also offer online sports betting. PointsBet is also the Blackhawks` official sports betting partner. The Blackhawks are one of the NHL`s “original six” teams and have been on the ice since 1926.